In this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, host Nikki Closser speaks with Aaron Jay Young, an editorial and portrait photographer based in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Young discusses how he went from a $150 sales average to a $2,500 sales average, and how you can do it as well, by transforming your mindset around your own worth. Once he did that, it helped him increase his prices and then hire a marketing firm to bring in more clients.

Young first picked up a camera when he was visiting a photographer friend in Palm Springs who asked him to take some behind-the-scenes shots for him during a photoshoot. Young continued to shoot when he returned to Pennsylvania, picking up clients at the gym where he worked. After moving to Los Angeles, he trained as a massage therapist and began to transition to full-time portrait photography. At that time, Young set his prices based on what he saw listed on other L.A. photographers’ websites—around $150. It wasn’t until he saw Sue Bryce speak in L.A. that Young realized he should be charging a whole lot more. Young got a membership to Sue Bryce Education (now called The Portrait System), began to do the self-value work on the site—along with doing therapy for himself—and soon began transforming his mindset through developing his sense of self-worth and value for the work he was producing.

[Read: Facebook Groups & Prepayment Plans Result in Increased Portrait Sales]

Young says, “I just slowly started down that road being incredibly uncomfortable . . . to say the pricing out loud.”  Young feels that it’s so important to increase your prices even if you don’t feel ready. He says, “if you’re waiting until you feel ready to up your prices, you might be essentially wasting a whole lot more time than you need to then if you just open yourself up or be willing to walk in that direction. That’s how you become confident.”

[Read: Raise Your Sales Average Through Networking]

Once he felt solid in his new prices, Young’s next step was to hire an SEO expert to get his website in shape and improve his ranking on Google. Then he hired a marketing firm to drive more business to his site using Facebook Ads and Google Ads. At present, he spends about $3,000 a month on marketing but feels it is well worth it because he no longer has periods without clients.

You can learn more about Aaron Jay Young’s photography on his websites: Aaron Jay Young Studio and Aaron Jay Young (portfolio).

The Portrait System Podcast helps portrait photographers navigate the world of photography, business, money, and much more. Hosted by Nikki Closser, the podcast is powered by The Portrait System, a comprehensive, online educational platform that teaches all aspects of running a successful portrait photography studio.